Zambia Independent Tabloid

  Lusaka, July 30, 2026 Citizens First president Harry Kalaba has asked the Constitutional Court to dismiss, with costs, a petition seeking to prevent him from contesting the August 13 presidential election. Kalaba argues that the withdrawal of his former running mate does not invalidate his nomination as a presidential candidate. In his response filed before the court, Kalaba states that he remains a duly nominated candidate because neither the Constitution nor the Electoral Process Act provides that the withdrawal of a running mate after nominations automatically cancels an otherwise valid presidential nomination. He says he was lawfully nominated by the Electoral Commission of Zambia alongside his running mate after satisfying all constitutional and statutory requirements. Kalaba acknowledges that his former running mate, Moses Mawere, later withdrew from the race, but contends that the withdrawal has no legal effect on his own candidature. “The Constitution does not provide tha...